Game apparatus.



NQ- 786,485. PATENTBD APR. 4, 1905.

' S. VON CLANNBB. L c. VON. JE'KEY.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 11011.10, 1902..'

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

QKEM.

No. 786,485. PATBNTED APR. 4, 1905. S. VON CLANNER 6c C. VON JKEY.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov.1'o, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT OEEICE.

STEFAN VON CLANNER AND CARL VON JKEY, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,485, dated April 4, 1905. Application sied November 1o, 1902. serial Na'lsomw.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, STEFAN RITTER voN CLANNER and CARL voN JKEY, citizens of Austria-Hungary, and residents of Vienna, Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to games; and it has for its object to provide a game representing a series of figures, as horses, traveling in certain defined paths or tracks arranged side by side, the said game being o`f simple construction and capable of being manufactured at a small cost.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the embodiment of the invention we provide a construction wherein the shaft, spool, reel, or drum receiving the windings of the cords or chains for the movable figures to be moved along' the tracks vare embedded in a mixture of foreign bodies of any form whatever. so that during the continuous or unaltered actuation of the driving mechanism such foreign bodies are apt to be mixed up with or entangled in the windings of the pulling or drawing elements, thereby necessarily altering` the diameter of such windings, with the result that the said figures or other bodies are not moved in a uniform manner, and consequently arrive at the destination at different periods of time, or that only some of such figures or other bodies arrive at the windingpost while the others remain more or less behind or away from said post. The arrangement may preferably be made in such amanner that the figures or other bodies are connected with the respective pulling' or drawing elements, so as to be easily disconnected therefrom, with the result that when the figures or other bodies arrive atv the destination the pulling or drawing elements will automatically be disconnected therefrom, whereupon such figures or other bodies will stop in their movements. This arrangement also allows of providing barriers in such manner that the figure or other body may accidentally be entirely removed from the pulling or drawing element and come to a standstill in front of the barrier.

This invention also embodies a construction of barrier itself, and the combination of the various devices allows of producing races with bets in accordance with a certain program and in true imitation of actual horse-races and even prod ucing such races with trial runs and handicaps; yet hazard plays here an important part, in so far as in spite of the increased chances the entanglement of the winding bodies, or some of them, will not always necessarily occur.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the improved game apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in plan, of the casing containing the foreign bodies and portion of the tracks. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the parts seen in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of that part of the racing-table in which the starting and finishing posts are arranged. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the parts seen in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side view. partly in section, and Fig. 8 a plan view, partly in section, of a modified arrangement for disconnecting the drawing element and the movable or racing' figure. Fig. 9 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, showing a barrier and also showing the mode of operation of the disconnecting devices. Figs. lO and l2 are transverse sectional views, and Figs. l1 and 13 longitudinal sectional views, of modified forms of the winding devices.

With reference particularly to Figs. l to 4, inclusive, we provide a supporting table or base A, supported upon feet or legs B. Mounted upon the table or base are a series of paths or tracks within or upon which the series of figures, as horses, are adapted to travel, and these paths or tracks may be formed in any desired manner-as, for instance,l by providing a board O, having a series of depending fia-nges or portions C and a series of slots f'. The slots are arranged parallel to each other, while the spaces between the depending fianges are similarly arranged relatively to each other. There may be any desired number of the depending flanges and the slots, depending' upon the number of racing figures used in the game.

f1 indicates the figures used, (in the present instance, a horse,) each figure being' carried upon a post or standard 7/2, which latter is secured to a block or slide g, the various blocks being adapted to fit and slide within the spaces between the flanges of the board C and the posts b2, riding within the slots f.

To cause the various figures to be actuatede., to run around their respective trackswe provide means adapted to be operated by hand. The operating means comprise, essentially, a winding-shaft carrying' a series of grooved pulleys or drums, one for eaeh fig-` ure, and a cord or chain having a connection with each of the figures and running around a respective pulley.

Inasmuch as the various tracks are concentrically arranged and a common shaft a is used for all of the figures, the shaft is constructed in the form of a differential windlassthat is to say, 'the pulleys vary in size, the smallest pulley being for the innermost track and successively increasing in size for the other tracks. Thus all the figures would traverse the distance from the start to the finish in the same period of time and all the figures would finish together at the finish-post.

To provide for a retardation in the motion of the various figures while running around the tracks, whereby to render it uncertain as to the order in which the various horses would finish the race and also with a view of rendering it uncertain just what horses will be retarded in their motion or the degree to which they will be retarded, we provide the means now to be described.

D indicates a box or easing which may be arranged transversely at any desired point across the tracks, said casing being partially filled with foreign bodies Gr of any character and having different shapes. The windingshaft a extends longitudinally of and within the casing and has its bearings in the ends thereof. The cords or chains cZ, which are connected at one end to the respective figures and at the other end to the respective winding pulleys or drums, pass through the before-mentioned foreign bodies. The latter are mixed with one another at random, and upon turning the shaft a they enter into or become entangled with the windings of said cords or chains in an irregular manner, thus altering the diameter of the individual windings and thus effecting an unequal speed in the motion of the figures engaged by the cords, so that said figures will arrive at their destination at different periods of time. W'hen the shaft is turned reversely, the foreign bodies will become freed from the windings of the cords.

For the purpose of providing for the stoppage of the various figures after they have crossed the finishing line or post we provide each of the blocks or slides .on the inner side with a projecting piece 71 having an opening or passage c' open upon its under side and through which opening the cord or chain attached to the movable figure passes. The cord or chain is provided at some point in its length with a knot i, for instance, the same being too large to pass through the passage z'. Thus when winding up the cord the block will be carried along by reason of the knot engaging the projecting piece L.

So long as the cord runs horizontally and the passage overlies some surface the knot will carry the block along; but as soon as the projecting piece /L is raised somewhat above the underlying surface the knot will drop down from behind the said projecting piece, thereby causing the block as well as the figure carried thereby to be arrested in their movement. In this manner the figures will be stopped as soon as they reach their destination, and in order to permit the knot of each cord to release the block we arrange the winding mechanism below the board A, so that the cords will be caused to branch off more or less vertically in a downward direction, as seen in Figs. 5 and 7. With this arrangement the knots will drop from behind the pieces L, and the figures will stop.

In order to simulate horses jumping over barriers or hurdles and render it possible for certain of the horses being stopped' in their movement at such barriers, thus adding a further element of uncertainty as to whether any particular horse or horses will reach their destination-c1 e., the finishing post or linewe provide the board A at points in the length of the various tracks with plates r, fixed at one end and being adapted to be raised into a more or less inclined position by means of an adjusting screw-rod G. As the blocks drawn by the cords slide along they are caused toV ride up the inclined plates, (see Fig. 9,) and when the piece /L of each block is forward of the plate and the under side of the passage z' is uncovered the knot It will drop down from behind the piece la. [n practice, however, it will not always happen that the knot will free the piece depending upon whether the knot has been squeezed into the slit in the piece /L sufficiently to prevent it from becoming easily detached therefrom.

In the event of the slide g becoming freed from the knot /c the respective figure stops at the barrier F, while at the same time the cord d continues to be wound up. Such detachment at the barriers is also entirely inde- IOO IOS

IIO

pendent of the number and sizes of the foreign bodies wound up; but in the event of the slide not becoming free from the knot the horse jumps over the barrier, executing a movement which is a true imitation of the natural jumping movement.

In order to render it possible that each horse starts with certain chances for winning, determinable beforehand, the arrangement may be such that each drawing or pulling element is allotted a certain amount of foreign bodies within which it may be moved and which it may wind up. To this end the drum (t is surrounded by a cylinder m, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. such cylinder being divided into as many compartments or sections a as there are pulling or drawing cords d. Into each one of said sections or compartments a quantity of bodies is introduced, which may vary and depends on the chances that a horse is to have for winning.

Itis not necessary to introduce into each section or compartment a large number of round and oblong'bodies, as is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4; but a small number thereof is sufiicient in order to vary the chances of the horses within the widest limits. As a rule three of such foreign bodies are sui'icient for each section or compartment, one of them corresponding to the quality of the horse, another one to the quality of the jockey, and the third one to the weight to be carried by the horse. Unless the lengths of the paths or tracks arranged concentrically within one another are equalized or allowed for by varying the diameters of the drums or shafts a fourth body may be introduced into each one of said sections or compartments, which on being wound up is, owing to its size, able to equalize the difference in the length of said paths or tracks; but as a rule the so-called equalization by weight is already su fiicient, the meaning of this being that the horse traversing the path or track nearest the center, and which is therefore the shortest one, is provided with or allotted the smallest foreign body to be introduced into the respective section or compartment, while the horse traversing the path or track nearest the circumference, and which is therefore the longest one, is provided with or allotted the largest foreign body to be introduced into the respective section or compartment, the sizes of such foreign bodies being inversely proportional to their respective weights-that is to say, the smaller foreign body represents a greater and the larger one a smaller load to be carried by the horse. The two foreign bodies symbolizing the quality of the horse and jockey, respectively, are, however. varied at will in order that the chances which are the same for all the horses when the equalization is effected by weight (handicap) may be varied for each individual horse; yet chance or accident also plays here a very important part, for whether the horse arrives at the destination sooner is not'only dependent upon the size of the foreign bodies to be wrapped in during the winding-up operation, but upon how many of the foreign bodies are introduced and when such bodies are caught up, while at the same time there is possibility of one or the other of the foreign bodies falling out or of being detached from the windings of the drawing or pulling cords.

The possibility of the entanglement of the bodies in the windings is brought about by the cylinder m, surrounding the drum, since only a few of such bodies are introduced, the said cylinder participating in the revolving of the drum or executing by itself a rotary movement, thereby raising the foreign bodies and causing them to fall from above onto the drum and into the windings. respectively.

The cylinder m is provided with slits j), allowing the cord d to be wound on the drum a; but such slits should not be so wide as would allow the winding bodies introduced into the sections or compartments to fall out of thelatter. The cylinder and theindividual sections or compartments, respectively, are adapted to be closed by means of slides g, (see Figs. 10 and 11,) so that the filling may be removed and replaced (exchanged) after each game (race) and the arrangement may be preferably such that all slides can be opened simultaneously.

Another modification of theu winding arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, in which a separate spool, pulley, or drum sfor each drawing or pulling cord is loosely mounted upon the shaft or drum (a. By fastening' or screwing down a nut t all the spools or pulleys or drums s and the actuating or driving mechanism (hand-crank a) may be coupled together, and to the drum c by friction, which may be increased by inserting washers while the loosening of the nut t allows of winding the cords d separately off each spool s. Said spools are provided with lateral guiding-surfaces 'u and move Within a semicylindrical casing w, so that the spool-disks divide the casing into a number of sections or compartments. When the spools revolve, the foreign bodies are raised by the said lateral surfaces e and caused to drop from above onto the central part and into the windings, respectively.

The modification of the winding arrangement shown in Figs. 10 and 11 may also be fitted with any contrivance allowing of a regular winding' of the drawing or pulling elements onto the cylinder, as well as of an easy and, if necessary, automatic winding thereof off the drum a. That purpose may be served by the arrangement of another or counter drum, which, either actuated by hand or by spring force or loaded by a weight, allows of unwinding the cords. The winding-drum itself IIO may also, instead of being actuated by hand, be driven automatically by a clockwork or like mechanism.

What we claim is 1. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a track, of a figure adapted to move along said track, a propelling device comprising a rotatable drum or pulley, and a iiexible connection between said drum or pulley and the movable figure, a casing in which the drum or pulley is arranged and having an opening through which the flexible connection passes, and an assemblage of foreign bodies contained in the casing and adapted to be engaged by the windings of the flexible connection as and for the purpose set forth.

j 2. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a track, of a plate secured at one end and having its opposite end free, an adjusting screw-rod bearing upon the free end of the plate, a block carrying a figure and adapted to travel along the track and upon the plate, and means for propelling the block and figure along the track.

3. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a track, of a block having a projection provided with a passage, the latter being open on the under side, propelling means for the block comprising a cord passing through the said passage and provided with a knot adapted to detachably engage with the projection on the block, and means for causing the knot to become detached from the said projection.

4. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a series of tracks, of a block carrying a figure adapted to travel along each of said tracks, a propelling device for the blocks comprising a series of drums or pulleys and flexible connections between the latter and the blocks, a casing divided into sections, each con taining one of the said drums or pulleys and being provided with openings for passage of the flexible connections, and foreign bodies contained within the several sections and adapted to be engaged by the windings of the Aflexible connections in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a series of tracks, of a block carrying a iigure and adapted to travel along each of said tracks and a propelling device for the blocks comprising a winding-shaft, drums mounted upon the shaft, a flexible connection between -each drum and a block, and means for clamping the various drums together and to the shaft for the purpose set forth.

6. In a game apparatus of the character described, the combination with a series of tracks, of a block carrying a ligure and adapted to travel along each of said tracks, a propelling device for the blocks comprising a winding-shaft, drums mounted on the shaft, and flexible connections between the drums and the blocks, the said drums being' provided with lateral guiding-surfaces, a casing within which the drums or pulleys rotate, and foreign bodies located within said casing and adapted to be engaged by the windings of the flexible connections in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEFAN V. CIJANNER. CARL VON J EKEY. Ilfitnesses:

WILHELM RAGEL, ALvnsTo S. Hoena. 

